Bryan Fuller Out as ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Showrunner

Bryan Fuller is leaving the captain’s chair on CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery.

Fuller has stepped down from his role as showrunner on the digital series, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

“We are extremely happy with the creative direction of Star Trek: Discovery and the strong foundation that Bryan Fuller has helped us create for the series,” producers CBS Television Studios said Wednesday in a statement. “Due to Bryan’s other projects, he is no longer able to oversee the day-to-day of Star Trek, but he remains an executive producer, and will continue to map out the story arc for the entire season. Alex Kurtzman, co-creator and executive producer, along with Fuller’s producing partners and longtime collaborators, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, will also continue to oversee the show with the existing writing and producing team. Bryan is a brilliant creative talent and passionate Star Trek fan, who has helped us chart an exciting course for the series. We are all committed to seeing this vision through and look forward to premiering Star Trek: Discovery this coming May 2017.”

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The news comes as Fuller is busy prepping Starz’s high-profile reboot of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods as well as a revival of NBC’s Amazing Stories, the latter of which is an anthology. Fuller penned the first two scripts for Discovery and has scripted the larger arc for the series — which will see a woman captain the new ship, called Discovery. Insiders note that there had been some frustration on Fuller’s part with the speed with which Discovery was moving. CBS Television Studios has already begun marketing the series, which has yet to be cast, with panels at San Diego Comic-Con, a teaser at the upfronts and a Q&A with executives and Fuller at TCA. 

The series also was recently pushed back from its January premiere to May, with CBS All Access now looking to its spinoff of The Good Wife as its first original scripted series. (The platform is currently airing an all-digital season of Big Brother.) 

Fuller will remain deeply involved in the creative story of Discovery, with showrunning duties divided between Kurtzman as well as Fuller’s frequent collaborators Berg and Harberts (Pushing Daisies).

Fuller was tapped to serve as showrunner on Discovery in February, with the news well-received in both the creative and fan community, as he has been a lifelong fan of the franchise.